COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) The Columbus Blue Jackets signed goaltender Elvis Merzlikins to a two-year, $8 million contract Thursday, putting him in competition with the freshly signed Joonas Korpisalo for the starting job.

The 26-year-old Latvian became a fan favorite while successfully filling in for an injured Korpisalo in the second half of the season. Merzlikins (pronounced Merz-LEEK-uhns) was set to be restricted free agent with arbitration rights after the 2019-20 season.

The team announced Merzlikin's signing a week after tying up Korpisalo with a two-year contract worth a reported $5.6 million.